Garden Salad
Lidey Heuck
11 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
11
20 minutes
Updated Feb. 27, 2024
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Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a baking sheet or a baking dish large enough to hold the asparagus in one layer. Place the asparagus in the dish, and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the stalks begin to shrivel and color lightly.
Remove from the heat, toss with the thyme and season with lemon juice if desired.
425 F works as well, and I seem to do better putting a grate (it's actually a cooling rack, but works perfectly for this on top of a baking sheet) on a baking sheet instead of placing directly on a pan or sheet or dish. Allows the heat to get to all sides of the asparagus. Less soggy, more crisp and yummy.
I love this with roasted Campari tomatoes - serve with a splash of balsamic vinegar at room temperature. Lemon zest, rather than juice is a great option. Sometimes I'll marinate feta in olive oil, lemon peel, rosemary & a few peppercorns and scatter it on the asparagus & tomatoes before the balsamic drizzle. Yum.
Instead of oiling the baking sheet, I line the baking pan with parchment paper for less clean up. This is a big hit with everyone.
I put a little olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a ziplock bag. I place the cleaned and dried asparagus in the bag and shake so the asparagus are evenly coated. Then I pour the asparagus in a colander to remove excess oil. Roast at 400 degrees. Delicious!!
I always substitute 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and it's so good I can't do it any other way even after 20 years. Also, if you're doing this for one, you can "pan roast" it on top of the stove and turn it once. Works great and is faster.
Rather than snapping off the ends, peeling the bottom 2 inches of the asparagus stalk and then cutting off the absolutely woody bits saves more yummy asparagus for eating
Used grilling mesh pan over gas grill to cook without other changes in recipe. Was a wonderful accompaniment to Melissa Clark's roasted halibut with lemons, olives, and rosemary which was done concurrently in oven
I used relatively skinny asparagus and cooked it for a little bit longer than instructed, for probably about 20-25 minutes until they were fork tender but still had a decent bite. Turned out great.
I'm looking forward to using the optional thyme and lemon next time. I agree that parm would be a great addition as well.
Laura, what a great tip! I took your suggestion, changed it a little. I marinated feta in olive oil, lemon peel and lemon pepper, then garnished the roasted asparagus with it plus chopped Campari tomatoes. And, we just loved it, plus the balsamic glaze we drizzled over it all. We then squeezed fresh lemon juice over it all, and that seemed to really enhance the balsamic g;aze. Yum is right! Thank you. Can't wait to have this again!
I use thinner asparagus and roast at 400° for 6-8 minutes, so they retain a snap. I use tin foil on the baking sheet, spray w/olive oil, drizzle olive oil over the veg & spread in single layer after lightly sprinkling w/salt & pepper. Delicious just out of the oven with a drizzle or three of balsamic glaze & in asparagus & cheese omelette.
I use nice, fat stems, peel the lower half of the asparagus and then snap off the ends. Jacques Pepin showed me how French chefs do this. More asparagus for me! Also put the pan on the top rack for better top browning. Yummy!
leftover asparagus cries for a frittata!
A great way to cook asparagus. For a variation I've used a neutral oil such as grapeseed or canola spiked with a bit of sesame seed oil.
This was excellent and easy! I added balsamic vinegar, which was a great addition. Highly recommended.
A few observations:
Dried thyme is fine.
Definitely crank it to 420 or 440.
At least 15 minutes. Then broil.
I have made this for years. I use the oven's convection roast feature. Ten minutes is plenty of time, even for faily thick stalks.
Wish I would’ve seen the top for using a grate. Tasted amazing perfect char but a little soggy even though not crowded pan!
Try one hour at 325 instead of 15 at 425 for a different take on it.
Asparagus is fresh now and this is a terrific way to prepare it. Easy. Bulletproof.
Wonderful nutty flavor is really brought out with the roasting.
Love the thick spears. Best on parchment paper. Somehow this seems to help cook the spears more evenly.
This is the only way I am happy with asparagus. From others’ notes, I cook on flat rack set on baking sheet at 425. I check for tenderness after 10 minutes. I like serving at room temperature with a drizzle of Basalmic reduction.
I roast either thick or thin asparagus and then splash them with balsamic vinegar.
The simplicity and flavour of this dish pleasantly surprised me. I changed nothing and we loved it.
How about this? Toss spears in evoo or grape seed oil, toss with Aleppo pepper and grated good parm (instead of salt), grill 3-5 mins. Dreamy.
Try adding a little butter with the olive oil. Cover for the first 15 minutes, then uncover for the last 5 minutes. They will ‘steam’ when covered and be more moist.
Instead of the oven, we spaced the asparagus in a dutch oven on a grill. They stayed moist and delicious!
Peel please when thick. Add Meyer lemon juice when asparagus is ready to be served- adding tomatoes into the mix while roasting adds another dimension. Let’s place some grilled jumbo shrimp on the top!
A sprinkle of finely-grated parm if eating right dish out of the oven adds a wonderful flavor.
I add sesame seeds when cooking & Adobe spice. I also use sea salt instead of regular salt.
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